Special Weapons and Tactics- a SWAT fanfiction
by hfish7
Summary: S.W.A.T is about saving lives, not kicking ass. Unless, of course, the situation calls for it. Hondo and his team work everyday to make Los Angeles a safer and all around better place to live, to bridge the gap between cops and the community, and to fight for everyone's rights. But what happens when things go wrong? Whump of the S.W.A.T characters.
1. Chapter 1

**S.W.A.T Fanfiction**

 **The Letter**

Hondo pulled a black t-shirt over his head, smoothing the wrinkles out of the SWAT emblem on his chest. He walked to the dresser and pulled open the drawer to grab a pair of socks when he sighed and picked up the shirt, running the fabric through his hands. He thought he had given Jess all her stuff back, but apparently not. This whole situation really did suck. _No. No, this is the way it has to be._ He threw the shirt, grabbed his socks, and soon headed out the door.

 **Later…**

"Good morning." Jess said as she walked down the hall, catching up with Hondo as he walked towards the team room.

"Hey. I found this in my drawer this morning. Figured you might want it back." He said, handing her a bag with the shirt inside. She looked at it and sighed.

"Things could be different...I could switch.." Jess started to say before Hondo cut her off. "No. Your not going anywhere! This place needs you. Your doing some really amazing things here, and maybe one day it'll be different, but not now. Besides, I still get to see you everyday." Hondo said as they walked into the kitchen.

"Yea. Yea, I guess you're right. It just sucks sometimes. Some of the things you guys do scare me. Like seeing you on top of that truck last week." Jess said, replaying the video of him on top of the armored truck, and how scared she had been that he would fly off into the oncoming traffic.

"Hey. Don't worry, I've got four of the best cops in this place watching my back." Hondo said, and pulled open a cookbook to plan dinner for that night. He opened the book, and an envelope fell onto the table in front of Jess. She picked it up and looked at it, getting a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was addressed to her.

"Forgot that was in there." Hondo said, taking it from her hand and carefully placing it back in the book.

"Lets hope I never have to open it." She said. He nodded, then looked back at the recipe.

 **Later…**

"As many of you know, there's been a string of armed bank robberies in South LA in the last few weeks. They have been done by a crew of recently paroled convicts, Carlos Vasquez, Charlie White, and Luke Owen. This is the house they are holed up in." Jess said, looking at the team who were standing around the table.

"We traced their online presence, and this is what came up." Hondo said. They all looked at the screen that showed the search histories of the three men.

"How to make a bomb, bomb parts, most deadly bombs. Their criminals. Did they forget that their search histories are monitored while their on parole?" Street said.

"I never said they were the smartest criminals. Anyway, we have the address of the house their crashing at. Let's go get them!" Hondo said.

 **Later…**

Luca pulled the SWAT truck up outside the address.

"Alright everyone, you know the drill. These guys won't go down without a fight. Fill the gaps, stay liquid!" he said, as everyone joined in for their catch phrase. They jumped out of the back and moved in formation towards the house. They crowded around the front door and waited as Tan placed the charge on the door, and blew it off its hinges, then charged inside.

"Metro SWAT drop your weapons!" Deacon yelled, and watched as two of the three suspects put their guns on the table. Luca and Tan ran over cuffed them while Street pulled away the guns.

"Deke, on me!" Hondo yelled. Deacon taped him twice on the shoulder, then they moved towards the room in the back where the music was blaring. Hondo looked back and Deacon, then returned his haze to the room. He kicked the door open, gun ready, but instead was met with a fierce pain that three him back against the hallway wall and onto the floor. His breath caught in his throat as he realized what had happened. He had been shot.

 **/**

"Hondo!" Deacon yelled, fear gripping him as he watched him drop to the floor. Deacon pumped the room full of bullets, watching the third suspect fall. As soon as he did, he dropped to his knees next to Hondo.

"Hondos down! Call an ambulance!" Deacon said to the rest of the team as they came to join the pair.

"Command this is Officer Luca I need a immediate bus to my location, I've got an officer down!" he called into the radio. Deacon pulled the vest off then pressed a hand onto the wound directly underneath Hondo's collar bone. Street sprinted back down the hall after tearing the kitchen apart for a clean cloth. He handed it to Deacon who pressed it hard against the wound. The pressure sent a surge of pain through Hondo's chest, bringing him back to reality. He opened his eyes, trying to steady his breathing and focus of the faces above him.

"Hey! Come on Hondo, keep your eyes open. Come on, focus on me." Deacon said. "I'ma…..be…...fine.." Hondo croaked out.

"I know. I know you will, but you gotta stay awake. This ain't your first rodeo. Stay with me." Deacon said, remembering the scar on his friends stomach. When he had asked about it, he wasn't given much other than that it was from his days in the Marine Corps. The rest of the team stood watching helplessly as their team leaders eyelids fluttered as he fought to keep them open, then soon gave in.

"Hondo?! Hey! Hondo!" Luca said, fear flooding into all of them. He knelt down quickly, pressing two fingers to his neck.

"He...he doesn't have a pulse!" Luca said, the words sticking in his throat on the way out. He jumped into action, starting compressions as they heard the screech of the ambulance tires as they pulled up to the curb and two paramedics ran in. They carefully took over the jobs of the two officers. After a minute that felt like an eternity, the paramedic stopped compressions.

"He's back. Let's get him to the hospital." the medic said. They strapped an oxygen mask onto his face and his body onto a backboard. The team followed the stretcher out of the house and watched as Deacon jumped into the back, and he doors were slammed shut behind him.

 **Back at the station…**

Jess sat at her desk, flipping through paperwork. She tried to focus on the files in front of her, but for some reason her mind couldn't get away from the letter that she had held this morning. Hondo was the first guy in a long time that had made her feel like a queen. But he was right. Now wasn't a good time. _Maybe one day, things will be different_. She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of her door open. She looked up to see Hicks standing in the doorway. Worry filled the air when she saw the look on his face. Something was wrong.

"Hondo's been shot. It's bad." He said. Her heart dropped to her stomach, words alluding her. She quickly got up and ran towards her car.

 **In a crowded waiting room…**

Deacon wore ruts in the floor as he paced back and forth. The rest of the team sat in the chairs nearby. As he turned around, Chris locked her gaze on his arm, and quickly walked over.

"Deke. Hey, your bleeding." She said, looking as a drop of blood landed on the side of his pants.

"Its...Its not mine. I'm fine." He said with a sigh.

"No, it's definitely yours." She said, as all the attention shifted to him. They didn't hear the click of heels on the floor.

"How is He? Is everything ok?" Jess asked with a pause as she joined the group now staring intently at Deacon.

"Hondos in surgery. It looks like Deacon got clipped on the arm and didn't know it." Luca said.

"Guys, it's nothing. I'm not the one to be focusing on right now." He answered, pulling away.

"I don't know man, your bleeding pretty bad. It looks deep." Street said when Chris gently pushed the shirt sleeve up.

"He's right, that needs stitches. Nurse? Can I get a nurse over here?" Jess said. Deacon sighed and reluctantly followed the woman into an open room.

As he sat on the edge of the bed, the image replayed itself over and over in his mind. Hondo laying their, Luca breathlessly trying to bring him back, blood everywhere.

He flinched when the nurse stuck the needle into his skin.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to numb it sir?" the nurse asked.

"Huh? Oh, uh..no. No. This ain't my first rodeo. I'll be ok." He answered, wanting only to be back with the rest of his team.

 **/**

Everyone looked up as the doctor walked towards them. They all stood to hear the news. It was getting late, and the mental exhaustion showed on everyone's faces.

"The surgery went well. The bullet entered just below his left collarbone and clipped an artery on the way out. That's the reason for all the blood loss and why he coded on scene. We are giving him a transfusion and monitoring his blood pressure, but another event in highly unlikely. He's going to be just fine." Dr. Connor said.

"Thank you. Can we see him?" Jess asked.

"Sure, but he won't be awake for a little while. I'd suggest going home and getting some sleep. Come back tomorrow, he'll be more coherent then. I'll have a nurse take you to his room whenever your ready." He answered. Jess nodded, and the rest of the team thanked him. They all stood for a few seconds, letting the words soak in. _He's going to be just fine._

"You heard him. Go home, get some sleep. I'll stay with him. If anything changes, I've got you guys on speed dial." Jess said, turning to the group. They nodded, and left together. Jess walked down the hall with the nurse and stopped at the door to the room. She stood staring at all the wires attached to him, his chest rising and falling steadily. She slowly sat in the chair, and folded her hand into his.

 **Later…**

Hondo looked up as the door to his room opened and the whole crew filed in. Deacon set a brown paper bag on his tray and watched the smile grow on his face.

"You didn't!" Hondo said with happiness, looking at the label on the bag.

"We did. Hospital food is the worst, and your favorite sub shop happens to be on the way." Tan said, handing him lunch.

"So goes the wing Deke?" Hondo asked.

"This? Nah, it's nothing, just a few stitches." Deacon answered, deflecting the attention.

"And the two suspects?" Hondo asked.

"Once we convinced them they could somehow be charged with attempted murder of a police officer, they both spilled their guts. They might have been in an interrogation room before, but they obviously had never shot a cop before." Jess said.

"Dude, you get off work for a few days, enjoy It! Focus on something else for once! Like how my Yankees are gonna kick the Angels ass!" Mumford chimed in. Laughter and booing filled the room.

"Not a chance!" Hondo replied, and the room erupted into a friendly yet competitive debate.

 **Later…**

The rest of the visitors had gone back to the work, leaving Jess and Hondo alone for the first time since he had woken up. She stared at him, tracing the veins in his hand with her finger.

"Why so quiet? What's going on up there?" Hondo asked with a soft smile.

"You really scared me. I thought I was actually going to have to open…"

"Hey. Stop that. Your not getting rid of me that easy. I'll see you at work every morning for the rest of my life." He said, cutting her off.

"Oh really?" she asked with a smirk, picturing him as an old, wrinkled man, still carrying a gun.

"Really. I love you." He said, squeezing her hand.

"I love you to." She answered.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey guys, I know its been a while since I've uploaded to this fic, and I apologize! Hopefully this one makes up for it! Hope you enjoy!**_

 **Fighter**

 **Description: The team dynamic is part of what makes S.W.A.T run so smoothly, and Hondo and his team have the best one out there. They all know that they'd do anything for each other, even if it meant one of them didn't get to go home at the end of a shift. When a bad situation gets worse, the team wonders if they'll all make it home, or if they'll be saying goodbye to one of their own.**

 _ **/**_

Deacon's eyes darted back and forth as he frantically tried to catch his breath. He heard a voice telling him to focus on him, but the searing pain in the side of his chest was making it hard. His thoughts raced and muddled together as the sound of sirens, screeching tires, and the panicked voices of his teammates filled his ears. The pain seemed to spread with every staggered inhale, which only managed to bring in tiny bits of air. His head began to spin due to lack of oxygen, sparks of white flashing in his vision, blurring out the face of his team leader. He gasped again, trying once more to get something in, anything to ease the burning in his chest. The breath stopped half way down, interrupted by a liquid forcing it's way up. He coughed, the pain growing as in his chest and abdomen. He watched the terror grow in Hondo's eyes.

"No! Come on Deacon, hold on! Don't you go anywhere! Hold on!" Hondo said, trying to keep his voice calm despite the fear and horror raging in his mind when he saw the sticky red liquid spray from his friends mouth.

"Luca! How far out are we?" Hondo yelled over the blaring sirens.

"Five minutes!" he answered from the driver's seat. He pushed the pedal further into the floor, even though they all knew he was going as fast as he could.

"Cut that in half! He might not have that long!" Hondo insisted. The rest of the team was left to watch as Hondo tried to control the bleeding from the wound and stop the air from flowing into his chest cavity while Street fought to keep his head still.

"20 David this is command I need a report. How is he?" Cortez asked.

"Not good. I...I think his lung just collapsed. We're about four minutes from the hospital." Hondo answered. Jess looked at Hicks who shook his head, the worry lines on his forehead standing out now more than ever.

"Keep us updated. I'll meet you guys at the hospital as soon as I can." she replied.

"Copy that." Hondo said numbly as he stuffed yet another handful of gauze over the bullet hole on Deacons side.

"He's losing to much blood! Come on man, keep breathing! Fight!" Street begged him as he tapped the side of his face, trying to make him keep his eyes open. They were beginning to slip closed, when they suddenly felt Black Betty jolt to a stop.

"We're here!" Luca yelled from the front seat. Tan jumped out and raced around to open the back doors before rushing to greet the ER nurses that sprinted out of the building with a stretcher, thanks to Chris calling ahead to ensure the hospital was ready for them.

"Alright, let's get him out carefully. Has he stopped breathing at all?" the nurse asked as they pushed the stretcher over. Street, Chris and Tan all grabbed a limb as Hondo kept pressure on the wound while they transferred him.

"No, but his lung collapsed, I'm sure of it. He lost a lot of blood. As soon as I take my hand off it's gonna start gushing out again." He answered, trying to stay calm. They were here now, they would save him….right?

"Ok. We've got him." The nurse said, taking over Hondo's position. They stood and watched them rush him away. They stood frozen, the events of the last few hours catching up with their racing minds.

 **Earlier…**

Deacon pulled the short sleeve shirt on, and tucked it into his pants. It was another record-breakingly hot day in Los Angeles, and he dressed how hot the black clothing would be if they got a call today. He turned around when he heard footsteps behind him, and smiled as Annie walked in with a thermos of coffee.

"Morning." He said, happily taking the coffee from her. He took a quick sip, and kissed her forehead.

"Good morning. So what all do you have going on today?" she asked, wrapping him in a hug.

"Shouldn't be anything out of the ordinary. The kids up yet?" he asked, looking at the time on his watch. His question was answered by the sudden sound of shouting, followed by a loud scream for Mom, and then two face appeared in the door.

"Mom! She tried to use the toaster herself and burnt my bagel! Then she spilled her orange juice and yelled at me!" his son yelled.

"I did not! You broke the cup! He called me a mean name dad!" his daughter replied quickly. They started to argue again, and Annie glanced at him and rolled her eyes.

"Alright alright, enough! I'll make you both new breakfast, go get ready or you'll both be late for school!" She said, ushering them out of the room, leaving Deacon to finish gathering his stuff in peace, but the truth was, he didn't mind the noise. It was a welcomed break from the sound of bullets. He pinned his badge to his belt, and walked into the kitchen to hear that the shouting still hadn't let up. He noticed the look on Annie's face, and decided it was his turn to be mediator.

"Hey, if you two don't stop arguing, we won't have movie night tonight, you hear?" he said sternly. They both stopped immediately, and looked up at him, as if to see whether or not he was bluffing. He raised an eyebrow, making sure his point had been taken.

"Your both going to be good for your mom while I'm at work, right?" he asked.

"Yes dad." they said in unison.

"Good. Come give me hugs." He held out his arms. They hugged him, and he stood to do the same to their mom as she mouthed "thank you" to him from her spot by the trash can where she had been cleaning up glass.

"See you tonight. Love you." He said, crossing the kitchen to give her a goodbye kiss.

"Be safe." She said. He nodded, and headed out the door.

 **/**

"Good morning. This character is Mark Hudson. Took us a while to figure anything out about this guy because he's not in any databases. Before today, he had a spotless record." Cortez said, showing pictures of the suspect while the news coverage played on a smaller screen in the background.

"So what'd he do?" Street asked.

"He kidnapped his former employer and his holding him in this old warehouse. This morning, he started a live stream. He said that after he was let go, his wife left him and soon after he lost his house. Instagram shut it down, but not before sending us the link. He wants $30,000 and a plane ticket in exchange for this man, Daryl Weston." She said.

"That's bad and all, but why would it drive him to kidnapping?" Tan asked, saying what they were all thinking.

"Well according to social media, his wife left him for Weston. Apparently they'd been having an affair for a few months, and the two of them decided to get Hudson out of the picture. Firing him was the first step." Jess answered. Deacon shook his head and looked around at the rest of them. This would be one of those guys who thinks he's got nothing to lose, which is where calls get dangerous.

"It looks like there's three points of entry, two loading docks on the side, and the main entrance on the front. We'll split off in pairs. Do we know which room he'll be in?" Hondo asked, studying the blueprints in front of them.

"From what we could tell from the video, he'll be in this room here. If two pairs enter from the docks and one from the main, you should be able to surround him. Be careful, this guy's got a heavy powered shotgun." Hicks said from his spot in the corner. The team nodded, then left to quickly to suit up.

 **/**

Hondo and Deacon crept down the hall towards the room the suspect was holed up in. They heard shouting as they got closer, what sounded like the man yelling at his hostage. Hondo signaled for the pair to stop as they got to the door.

"22 David we're position." Luca whispered into the comms, hoping not to spook the man.

"25 David we're in position." Chris said. Hondo listened to the calm in the hallway, having no idea it was all about to change.

"Breech on three." he said, pausing to raise an eyebrow as the yelling suddenly stopped. Deacon shrugged, and placed the charge on the door. Hondo listened carefully. Something didn't feel right, but he couldn't place what it was, so he kept going.

"1...2….3!" Hondo yelled, then ducked as the door was blown off its hinges. He stood as Deacon moved into the room first, following quickly behind him.

"Metro S.W.A.T drop your weapon!" Hondo yelled. The man spun around, looking at the officers that had surrounded him. He thought he would comply, but Deacon saw the change in his expression and the look in his eyes. Time seemed to slow as he watched the man raise the gun towards the team leader, who was now a few paces in front of him. Hondo had his eyes on the hostage, and had no idea what was happening. Suddenly, Hondo heard Deacon scream his name, and turned in time to watch the man pull the trigger. An ear piercing bang rang through the room, and Hondo felt himself being tackled to the ground. More shots rang out as the team neutralized the threat. Hondo quickly rolled his teammate off of him.

"Command, suspect is down. We've got the hostage." Street said as they cut the bindings off of the man, only partly paying attention to him. All eyes were on Hondo and Deacon, who were both still on the ground. Hondo got to his knees, and was about to help his partner stand when he saw the stunned look on his face. He looked down to see Deacon pawing at the side of his chest, trying to get the vest off. Then his eyes moved to the pool of red that was quickly growing under him.

"Shit! Deacon's hit! Let me see, stop! Stop, let me see! Tan, call for a medic!" Hondo said, dropping back to his knees. Alarm bells sounded in his head when he heard how much Deacon was wheezing and gasping for air. It only got louder when he looked at the wound and how quickly it was spewing blood. He yanked a roll of gauze out of his side pocket and shoved it against the wound, knowing the worst had just happened.

"What's wrong Hondo? What's going on?" Luca asked, coming to his side. Street carefully hurried the hostage out of the building to the backup squad car that had responded to his call.

"Go get Black Betty, and get her in here. He doesn't have time to wait for an ambulance. The bullet's in his chest, and it looks like it ripped his lung open. We gotta go **now!"** Hondo said, trying to hide his fear.

"Chris, keep him awake. I need to look at this wound." Hondo said. Chris quickly did as she was told as Luca took off for the entrance in a dead sprint.

"Hey! Deke, hey, look at me. Focus on me ok? Stay awake. Your gonna be fine ok, we got you. Come on man. Deke! Deacon! Keep your eyes open!" She pleaded with him. They both looked up, then covered Deacon with their bodies as Luca crashed through the wooden walls and screeched to a halt. He jumped out and yanked the back the doors open, then ran over with the med kit from the back. Hondo took his hand away just long enough to grab the new roll of bandage and shove it back onto the wound, cursing under his breath at the amount of blood that had escaped in the short time it took him to change the plug.

"Lets get him up. You guys are gonna have to carry him, I can't move my hand or he'll bleed out." Hondo said. They nodded, and after a count to three, they lifted him off the ground as quickly but as gently as they could. Deacon groaned at the pain that seemed to intensify at the movement.

"Hang on man!" Luca said when he heard it. When they reached the vehicle, Tan and Street jumped in and helped pull him in.

"Alright we're good! Go go go!" Chris yelled as she hopped in and slammed the doors shut behind her. Luca flipped on the lights and sirens, and everyone braced themselves as he drove back out onto the street, doing his best to make sure he didn't hit any bumps. The second he felt the pavement under the tires, he put the pedal to the floor, worry fueling his driving, knowing Deacon was in bad shape. Really bad.

 **Current time…**

Jess glanced at her watch. They had been here for five hours now, and Deacon was still in surgery. She looked around at the faces of her team. Most of them were glazed over, not sure what to think. Sure, they had all been in a hospital waiting on news on one of their own before, but never for this long. They all knew that this was different, this was serious. She looked next to her, where Annie had sat for the last few hours. She had gotten here as fast as she could, with her best brave face on, even though everyone knew how she was truly feeling. She had been on the phone for the last few minutes, trying to assure the kids that Daddy would be ok, even though she wasn't sure herself. Surgeries didn't take this long unless they were practically bringing someone back from the dead. Jess' eyes moved again, soon landing on the other person she was most worried about. She stood and walked over to where he stood in the corner, off a short distance from his team. She knew what answers she would get from him before she even asked the questions, but she did it anyway.

"Hey. How are you?" she asked, leaning against the wall next to him.

"Fine." he replied stiffly, his expression remaining the same.

"Hondo…" she pressed, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"He pushed me outta the way Jess. Why would he do that?!" he said, his voice breaking. He looked away, then rubbed a hand over his face as a wave of anguish hit him. Her heart hurt for him. She knew he was blaming himself, and she wished there was something she could do to help him, to assure him that it wasn't his fault.

"He's going to be ok. He's a fighter." she said, trying to sound more sure than she was. He shook his head in response, and stared off into the distance once again. He soon looked up when they heard the sound of scrubs swishing, and saw a doctor walking towards them.

"Family of David Kay?" the doctor asked. Hondo flinched at the sound of the name. They only used his legal name when it was something serious. They all quickly stood to their feet, allowing Annie to lead the way as they gathered around the doctor.

"I'm his wife. How is he?" she asked impatiently.

"It was a rough surgery. The round from the shotgun tore a large hole in either side of his left lung when it entered the side of his chest. Luckily, it didn't travel any further, and we were able to remove it. He suffered severe damage to the muscle and ribs surrounding the bullets entry, due to it fragmenting on impact. All that said, he fought hard, and I expect him to make a full recovery." He said. A collective sigh of relief sounded through the group at the sound of the last sentence.

"Yea! That's the Deacon we know!" Luca said happily, hugging Tan. Hondo shook his head happily.

"Can I see him?" Annie asked quickly.

"The lung is in pretty bad shape, so he'll be on a ventilator for a day or so until he gets some strength back, and he's getting another transfusion to replace what he lost. Otherwise, we'll allow a few visitors at a time, but I can't allow you to all go at once." He answered.

"Go! Your first, of course. We'll come back." Hondo said when Annie looked around at the team. They all nodded their agreement, gave her their well wishes, and soon left.

 **/**

"Right in here." Annie stopped after the door opened, and she saw the figure laying in the bed. He was as pale as the sheets surrounding him, with stains of where dried blood had been wiped away scattered across his cheeks, chin and hands. The large blue tube protruding from his mouth was likely the thing that threw her off the most. Was this how he had felt when she had her surgery? She realized in that moment that he was truly just as strong as she had always thought. Definitely strong enough to get through this. She thanked the doctor, and walked to the side of his bed. She listened to the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the whooshing noise coming from the ventilator. She sighed deeply and brushed the hair out of his eyes, then sat in the hard chair next to his bed. She wrapped her hands around his, and couldn't help but notice how cold and limp they were. _Probably just haven't gotten enough blood circulating yet_ she thought.

"Hey babe. Wow. you really scared me. You scared everyone. Hondo said you pushed him out of the way. He's really broken up about this, I could see it in his eyes. Doc said your gonna be ok though, so you better listen. I'm still not really sure how to explain this all to the kids. Your so much better at this whole bedside manner thing. Who am I kidding, you probably can't even hear me." she shook her head and sighed again. She gasped, shock filling her mind when she felt his fingers slowly squeeze her hand. A tear rolled down her cheek. She knew that most people would say it was involuntary, just a muscle twitching, but she knew it was him. When she had her surgeries, she remembered being able to hear certain things around her, even if it was through her subconscious. She smiled, wiping her tears away. He was going to be just fine.

 **Days later…**

Deacon looked up from the tv in the corner when he heard the door slide open.

"Hey man! What's up?" he said as Hondo walked in.

"Hey. good to see you awake… you.. You look good." he relied. Deacon could hear the tone in his voice, and flipped the tv off.

"Thanks. Hondo… you don't have to thank me.."

"I'll stop you there. You were just doing your job, I've heard that before. I know, its just… man, seeing you like that, seeing Annie after, thinking about the kids. I… couldn't stand the thought that you might not be going home to them because you saved me." He said with a sigh.

"You wanna know what kept me going, what made me fight? Annie and those kids. Hondo, I'm going home to them. I'm ok. And i'd do what I did again if the situation required." Deacon said, looking his friend in the eye. He knew Hondo would do the same. They all would, thats why their good at their jobs. Hondo nodded, coming to an understanding with each other, finally at peace with what had happened. Deacon was about to say something else when the door opened again, and the rest of the team noisily piled into the room, all talking at once. Deacon fielded the questions as best he could, his smile stretching from ear to ear. This was how things were supposed to be. They were whole again.


	3. Chapter 3 Tomorrow isn't Promised

**Tomorrow isn't promised**

 **The past few months have taken their toll on the personal lives of Hondo and his team, and tensions between Chris and Street are beginning to come to a head. When a formidable call leaves few unscathed, they are forced to face the reality of danger of the job they do, and how fleeting life can be if it is taken for granted.**

Street yawned and opened his eyes as the sound of his alarm clock filled his ears. He rolled over and turned it off before slowly pushing back the covers and stretching. He smiled to himself when he heard the muffled sound of his roomate talking to the dog in the kitchen.

"Sometimes I think you love that dog more than you love people." Street said, walking into the kitchen.

"Yea, well dogs are known for being a lot more friendly than people, so can you really blame me?" Luca replied. Street laughed, and patted the dog on the head before making his way through the kitchen to grab some breakfast before the two of them headed into work for the day.

 **Across town…**

Deacon woke to the typical sound of chaos coming from the direction of the kids room. His son was the only one with his own room, but he often started his day in the one his sister's shared. Sometimes this went smoothly, other times, not so much. It was evident which one this morning would be by the noise.

"Hey! Give that back!" Deacon sighed and looked over at Annie as the sound of an argument was soon drowned out by that of a crying baby.

"Please take care of whatever that is, I gotta give Tori her medicine." Annie said as she pushed the covers back and stood up. He nodded, and left quickly. _Just another day in paradise…._ He thought to himself with a chuckle as he turned the corner, and was immediately hit by projectile toy.

 **In a hospital room…**

Hondo was jolted awake by the sound of his alarm going off. He sat up in the hospital chair and groaned from the stiffness in his body from spending the night in a hard chair. He looked over to the sleeping figure in the bed, making sure he hadn't woken him up. After standing up and stretching, he walked over and squeezed the kids hand.

"Don't go anywhere, I'll be back to check on you when my shift's over." Hondo said.

"I'll make sure he stays put." Hondo looked up and smiled as his mom came back in the room. He walked over and gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

"Thanks ma."

"Be safe." She said as he walked out.

 **Meanwhile…**

Chris sat up in bed, and stretched happily, looking around the room. The feeling didn't last long though, as she looked at her clock, and saw that she had slept through her alarm, and was now running 20 minutes later that she normally gets to work. She cursed under her breath, and threw the covers back, getting dressed as quickly as she could. She grabbed a smoothie on her way out the door, and sprinted to her car. She quickly pulled onto the road, and straight into traffic.

 **Later…**

Street walked down the hall of the office past the gym, lost in his thoughts. He was on his way to the locker room when he nearly ran into Chris, who was going towards the gym.

"Oh, sorry." Street said.

"It's fine." Chris replied dryly. Street sighed to himself. He hated how long this awkwardness was going on.

"Seriously Chris, how long are we gonna do this?" Street asked with a sigh. She stopped lowly, and turned around.

"Do what?" She answered.

"Oh come on, you know exactly what I'm talking about! Ever since…. Everything that happened, you've been avoiding me. Look, at this point, I don't care if you don't feel the same way about me. I just want things back to the way they were." Street said, with an tired look in his eyes.

"Maybe you're reading me wrong Street. There's nothing weird between us, you just don't want me to be in the relationship that I'm in, and I guess I should be used to that by now." Chris answered coldly.

"Wow. You know that's not true. I'm pretty sure I was the one who supported you and talked you into telling a lot of your family members. Bu you know what, if you want to come at my character, that's fine. I was just trying to fix our friendship, but that's obviously not gonna happen!" Street said. Chris was about to respond when Luca came around the corner.

"We got a case, boss wants us in the bullpen in 5." He said. When the two silently broke off and headed towards their lockers, Luca followed Street in.

"Did I interrupt something? Everything ok with you and Chris? I noticed you two have been a little off lately." Luca asked as he opened his locker.

"Just a little argument, it's nothing." Street answered. Luca gave him a questioning look.

"Didn't seem like nothing. Hey man, if it's personal, then it's between the two of you, but out there, our only focus is to do out jobs and watch each other's back. Emotions can make that difficult. Take care of it before something happens, not after." Luca said.

"Yea, I'm trying." Street answered with a sigh, and then exited before the conversation could go any further.

 **Later…**

"This morning, I got a call from a friend of mine who works at Langley. This man, Marcus Clark, currently holding the number three spot on the FBI's most wanted list was spotted in the area." Cortez said, pointing to the photos on the screen behind her.

"Langley? I thought that was CIA, not FBI?" Deacon asked with a confused look.

"It is, and that's the problem. If both agencies are looking for him, it means he's incredibly illusive and even more dangerous. All other cases are on hold for the day, all teams are on for the raid." Cortez said.

"Raid? We already know where he's hiding?" Luca asked.

"We do. Before he headed into our neck of the woods, the CIA managed to get a bug on his car. They've been tracking him ever since. He's been wholed up in this abandoned office building that was set to be demolished next week. There has been a team of agents watching the building from across the street. They confirmed an hour ago that he has not left." Commander Hicks said.

"How are we just now hearing about this? It sounds like he's been here for a few days." Hondo asked.

"The FBI wanted to make sure they had a solid case against him before the went in, and unfortunately, it just got bigger. Two days ago, a local arms dealer was seen entering the building where Clark has been hiding out. The surveillance team assumed it was him trying to make a deal. A few minutes in, there was what sounded like a gun fight and soon after, the bodies of the dealer and his men were thrown out of the window. When police were called and tried to remove the bodies, two officers were shot. Both are in stable condition, but this just goes to show that this man does not plan on coming quietly, and isn't afraid of taking cops down with him. We need to get this guy off the streets, and more importantly, _our_ streets." Hicks said. The team nodded, and turned as Cortex pulled up a video call from her contactat Langley. After she further explained the severity of the situation, and waited until the rest of the S.W.A.T teams were present, she helped explain the plan for entry from her seat on her jet that was carrying her team to California to meet them.

 **On my signal…**

Street scanned the building, looking for any snipers or men in the windows of the building they were about to enter, to ensure that they still had the element of surprise.

"All clear Hondo, we're good to go." Street said. Hondo nodded his response.

"20 David to command, the east side is clear." Hondo said, and the team listened to the rest of the groups of officers sounded their similar response. Hondo waited until he was given the word, and set the charges on the door. Everyone knew that this was the calm before the storm. They waited until they were given the signal, and ducked, listening to the sound of simultaneous bangs as the entrances were blown open, and still more agents crashed through the windows. Hondo and his team were sent to the top floor with another team, and they ascended the staircases as quickly as they could, with other teams splitting off from them with each floor they passed. They had officially lost the element of surprise as they took out multiple shooters in the stairway. They crouched outside the door when they finally reached their destination, and waited for Hondo's nod.

"Give me two!" Hondo said as they rushed in and began to clear the rooms, picking off the suspects one by one. The few that did give up were swiftly zip tied to the nearest window with bars or thick pipe, and the team moved on. The smell and sound of gunfire hung thick in the air as the building shook from the activity raging throughout.

"Target spotted on the roof!" Hondo paused at the message coming through the comms and was about to respond, when another followed.

"We're taking heavy fire on the third floor! We need backup!" Rocker yelled. Hondo looked around at his team, and decided that the best course of action was for the team to split up, seeing as they were directly in the middle of both of the calls..

"Deacon, Tan, with me. Chris, Street and Luca, go back up our boys!" Hondo yelled, and the team immediately did as they were told.

Deacon swung the door to the roof open, and the three men raced out.

"LAPD S.W.A.T! Show yourself Clark!" Hondo yelled. There was no reply as they continued to move along the roof. Hondo stopped short when he heard a pained grunt, and turned around to see a man with his arm around Tan's neck. He had knocked his gun out of his hands, and had one of his hands pinned between his shoulder blades. Before Hondo could respond, he heard movement coming towards them, and turned around just in time to look Clark in the eyes as he pulled the trigger on a buck shot rifle.

"Hondo!" Deacon screamed as he watched the team leader fall. Everything was happening so fast. He saw the gun reload and aim for him, and he quickly raised his. Two shots sounded at the same time, and both men fell. Tan knew it was up to him, and suddenly threw all his weight forward, sending his attacker flying over his head. The man grabbed a weapon from the ground, but was shot before he could get his finger on the trigger. He rushed to the aid of his teammates, who to his surprise and relief were both already standing.

"Get up!" Hondo snarled at the man. He was about to cuff him when he he heard an ear-piercing bang, and the entire building shook. Fear filled him as his mind told him what had happened. An explosion.

 **A few flights of stairs down…**

"Stay with me man, your gonna be fine!" Chris yelled over the sound of gunshots popping around them. She pressed her hand harder against the wound on his shoulder, just below his collar bone. _There's to much blood…. Two inches to the right and all it would've left was a bruise!_

"Ah….god it...h..hurts!" Rocker groaned through clenched teeth.

"I know, I know. Your gonna be ok." she said, trying to reassure him.

"I gotta get him outta here, he's losing to much blood!" Chris pressed the button to her comms, and yelled to her teammates. She pulled her hand away for a second so she could rip her other glove off, discarding the first that was already saturated. As she did, she scanned down his body and let out a curse word when her eyes locked on a second bullet hole. No wonder all the color had drained from his face.

"Dammit! There's a second wound! Cover me, he's gotta go now!" Chris yelled.

"We got you! Tell us when your ready!" Street answered.

"Hey, Rocker, look at me! I'm gonna get you outta here, just hold on, ok?!" she said, then pulled a bandana out of her pocket, and tied it as tightly as she could around his leg. He nodded sluggishly, then groaned at the pressure. She turned around, and grabbed his arm and leg, making sure they weren't the ones with holes in them, and hoisted the man onto her shoulders. She signaled to Street and Luca, who wasted no time filling the room with cover fire so that she could move out of the room with Rocker with ease. She knew she would likely hear about this later, and she was fine with that. But right now, that wasn't remotely what she cared about. What she cared about was the man on her shoulders, her brother in blue, who she could tell was fading fast as she hurried down the stairs, dodging other officers rushing back towards the fight.

"We're almost there, alright?" Chris said, hoping for an answer. She listened closer for one, fear hitting her when she realized that not only did she not hear an answer, but she also couldn't hear him breathing. She had thought that he was getting heavier, but had written it off as fatigue, not him going limp. She pushed herself to go faster down the last set of stairs, fearing that if she didn't, Rocker wouldn't make it out of the building. Now more than ever, she realized how dire the situation was, and forced herself back to her feet, and out into the street that was flooded with local police, FBI, and S.W.A.T vehicles and officers. Before she knew where she was, she heard someone calling her name.

"Chris?! Chris, what happened?" Chris finally focused on the voice talking to her, and looked into Jess' concerned eyes. Hicks had quickly called for a medic, and soon she felt lighter as Rocker was lifted off of her shoulders.

"Uh...we..the uh… 20 David split up. Hondo, Tan and Deacon went up to the roof after the suspect, and Luca, and Street and I went to give Rocker and his team some backup. When we got in there, Rocker was hit. I was the closest to him, so I got him out. They're still pinned down in there! They're probably running out of ammo! I gotta go back in!" Chris explained, her words becoming more frantic as they became more clear. Jess started to protest, but before she could get a word out, the officer was already half-way back across the parking lot, running back towards the building. Jess fought to keep her emotions under control as her head spun with the multitude of things that needed her attention. There were higher-ups asking for a status report on Clark, multiple suspects that needed to be booked and sent away, an injured officer behind her, and his team members inside that were still pinned down. Where to start?

"Command to 22 David, do you copy?" she listened closely as the comms line opened, but there wasn't an answer right away. First came the sound of gunfire, and multiple voices shouting commands.

"Copy command! We're still taking heavy fire on the second floor!" Luca yelled back, ducking down behind a metal barrier.

"Any word from 20 David?" she asked.

"Negative command! We've been a little busy! We need backup!" Street answered.

"Copy that 26 David, I'll send some y…." she was cut off when an ear piercing bang cut through the air. She instinctively turned her head away from the blast. Time seemed to slow as she made eye contact with Hicks, and they both looked back up at the building, and the damage that had been done.

Chris had almost made it back into the building when she heard the blast, and then felt it lift her off the ground. She was tossed across the parking lot as if she was weightless. The world spun quickly around her, and then soon turned to pitch black.

 **Seconds earlier…**

"Negative Command! We've been a little busy! We need backup!" Street yelled, spraying bullets into the room in front of him while listening to Jess in his ear. He looked over at Luca, who had just ducked behind a wall a few feet away. Street checked his magazine, and then stood up again to return fire. Just as he did, he made eye contact with one of the suspects, then followed his eyes down to a switch in his hands. He didn't have to think long to figure out what the man was holding. Before he could warn anyone, Street felt the room shake, and dropped to the ground as he closed his eyes and listened to the concrete groan around him.

He waited until he felt the dust settle slightly, and slowly lifted his head up and began to search the room for his teammates. Fear washed over him when he counted heads, and couldn't find Luca. He stood up and called for the other men who were with him. The blast had allowed them to get the shooters in the room into handcuffs, and they were already trying to key their radios.

"26 David to 22 David, do you copy?!" Street asked, searching the room. There was no response. He was about to try again when his eyes finally landed on the gaping hole in the floor. The floor where Luca had been standing. Street raced over and dropped to his knees at the edge.

"Luca! Luca, can you hear me?! Luca!" he yelled.

"Command to all s.w.a.t teams, do you read?! Where'd that blast come from?" Commander Hicks' voice boomed through the comms, a hint of worry showing through.

"Loud and clear command. This is 30 David. 20 and 25 are up in the roof with me." Hondo checked in. Street gathered himself, and pressed the button on his comms.

"Command this is 26 David. The blast came from the second floor. I think the shooter had the room lined with a bunch of c4. I think 22 David fell through the floor! I'm going to find him!" Street said, then raced out of the room before another word could be said.

 **Amongst the rubble…**

Luca took a deep breath and groaned slightly as he opened his eyes and tried to get his bearings. As he started to come back to his senses, he sat up, and looked around him, soon realizing what had happened. The bang that he had heard must've been a bomb. He remembered falling, and landing on top of something hard, which must've been that filing cabinet in the corner. He reached up to his shoulder for his radio, only to look down and find that it had been busted it the fall. He cursed to himself when he heard gunshots coming from the hallway. His automatic rifle was nowhere to be found, so instead of searching for it, he grabbed his side arm, knowing that he had to find the rest of his team. As he stood, he felt a twinge of pain in his side, but ignored it. What if the rest of his team was hurt? He couldn't waste time worrying about himself.

 _One story… it's not that far, right?_ Street thought to himself as he crept through the stairwell. _Maybe he landed on something soft, or something like a conference room table._ He was trying to reassure himself, to make himself believe that Luca would be fine. They all would. He couldn't focus on the negative, no matter how much his mind was trying to tell him how large the blast had been, and how much square foot each floor covered. Finding one man was like finding a needle in a haystack in here. But Street didn't care. This man was his brother, and he would find him no matter how long he had to search. He was snapped from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps coming from down the hall. Street slowed, trying to make his steps as quiet as possible.

"LAPD S.W.A.T identify yourself!" Street yelled as he turned the corner sharply. He quickly saw that the footsteps belonged to a suspect, not a fellow officer. Before he could order the man to the ground, a loud pop echoed off the walls. A fiery pain exploded in his left shoulder, and his rifle flew from his hand as he hit the ground. Everything except for the pain slowed to a stop, and Street laid still. He heard the footsteps getting closer, telling him that his last-minute plan had worked. As soon as he heard them stop again, he yanked his side arm up, and pulled the trigger. He watched the man drop to the floor, and laid his head back down, squeezing his eyes shut. He slowly reached his opposite hand over to the source, and looked at it with annoyance when his fingers returned covered in blood. _Great… just fantastic!_ He thought to himself. He tried to stay as quiet as he could when he rolled himself onto his stomach, so as not to alert any of the guys friends who may be nearby. However, the grunt that came out as he pushed himself to his feet was involuntary. He blinked a few times in an effort to slow the rotation of the room, and turned around to start to find his way to Luca once again. Before he knew what was happening, another man appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and landed a solid left hook to Street's jaw. He stumbled back a few steps, caught off guard. He was forced to get his bearings when his eyes caught a ray of sun bouncing off the blade of the knife in the man's hands. He gathered himself as much as he could, realizing that this had now turned into a matter of life or death. He did his best to land a few blows with his left, as his dominant hand was out of commission, and did. It seemed like he may have actually had the upper hand when Street landed one hard to the man's temple, knocking him off balance. The man dropped to a knee, and Street grabbed for his pistol once again, but before he could, the man lunged forward and sliced the blade across the bend of Street's left knee. He let out a scream of pain, and dropped to the hard tile. In the next second, his opponent was on top of him, and the situation turned into a wrestling match with both trying to gain control of the blade. Street felt the knife sink into his hip and thigh, survival mode kicking in as he felt the blade traveling higher to pierce his side, tearing the side strap of his vest. He watched through foggy eyes as the man drew his hand back, going for the fatal blow, and managed to slide his gun out of holster and fire a round into the suspects chest, but not before the blade found its final mark, burrowing into the large muscle on the side of his neck. Street managed to force the dead man off of him, and lay there feeling the color drain from his body. He began to slip away, when the thoughts of his teammates suddenly came flooding back. Luca, Chris, Deacon…. Where were they? What if he was their only chance? This thought was what forced him to draw in a shaky breath, and drag himself to his feet once again with the support of the wall.

One heavy foot in front of the other, he stumbled down the spinning hallways, turning corner randomly with zero sense of direction or awareness of his surroundings, only knowing that he couldn't stop moving. He slowed slightly when suddenly he thought he heard a voice. Then it got louder and louder. The voice sounded panicked, and…. Familiar. He blinked again, and looked up, and saw two blue eyes staring back, filled with terror.

"L…...lus….lua….Luc...a….?" he forced the name out.

"Street! Oh my god! What...what happened?!" Luca asked frantically as he watched the kid sway, unsteady on his feet. He was white as a ghost, the black fabric of his clothes shiny and wet, his face covered in soot and blood. Luca lurched forwards and caught his teammate when he watched his eyes roll back in his head, and his limbs go limp.

"Dammit! No! No no no, come on man, stay with me!" Luca yelled as he stared down at the still form, trying to decide which wound to put pressure on first.

"22 David to command, get a buss ready immediately! Street…. Uh he… uh… looks like he's been stabbed multiple times. Stay with me kid! Come on, please!" shear panic gripped each member of the David squad as the message came through Street's radio.

"Copy that 22 David. Which exit are you coming out?" Cortez asked, trying to pull herself together amidst the chaos around her in the parking lot. Chris was being checked for a concussion next to her, and officers were weaving around firefighters and paramedics as they tried to leave the building that looked as though it could collapse any second.

"North side! Hang in there man, your gonna be fine, ok?!" Luca answered quickly, then hoisted the motionless body of his teammate onto his shoulders.

"Sir, this building could go up in flames at any minute. We have to get your guys off the roof **now.** " the fire chief said to Hicks as they looked up to where Hondo and Tan were standing near the edge of the room, with Deacon holding tightly to the suspect.

"Command this is 30 David, any word on Street?" Hondo asked impatiently, scanning the ground below him hopelessly for any sight of his brother. The crowd of activity had quickly dispersed, but still nothing. Street had worked so hard to earn his way back onto s.w.a.t, and have finally begun to gain respect back from the surrounding teams. Hondo had never lost his respect, simply hoped the kid would learn from his mistakes. And now that he had, they might lose him for good? No. this wasn't happening.

"Paramedics are with him now, it's not good. Bur right now, we have to let them do their job, and focus on getting you guys down. The building isn't stable anymore, and everyone else has been evaced. They're setting up an airbag, you guys are gonna have to jump." Jess said, trying to remain calm even though it seemed like everything was going was a terrible option, but it was also their only option.

"That's gonna suck!" Tan said, trying to flex his shoulder, stopping quickly when the movement set a bolt of pain through it.

"Yea it is, but it looks like its all we got." Hondo said.

"Alright. I'll go first with him, then you two come." Hondo said.

"Not a chance. You two need to be checked out by a medic. You both go first, then I'll take him." Deacon replied quickly. Hondo started to protest when Hicks' cut in.

"Sorry Hondo, I gotta agree with Sargeant Kay on this one." Hondo looked over the edge at the airbag, and then at the ambulance that roared to life as it whisked Street away.

"See you down there." He said, then he and Tan stepped slowly to the edge, and dropped out of sight. Deacon closed his eyes, trying to calm his nerves, and not think about how much he hated heights.

"Alright Deke, we're ready for you." Hicks said. Deacond stepped to the edge, and pulled the suspect with him, who was grinning maniacally.

"Your not scared of jumping, are you?" he asked with a laugh.

"Shut up!" Deacon snapped, and stepped off. Before he could jump, the building shook as flames exploded through the roof vents, propelling the two into the air. They landed in an awkward twist of limbs, the officer hearing a loud pop as the hit the airbag. At first, he feared the bag had given way, but when it was quickly followed by a sharp pain, he knew otherwise. Clark was swiftly hauled off of the bag by waiting agents, and taken away. Commander Hicks, Jess, Hondo, and Luca all rushed over when they didn't see Deacon move off of the bag.

"Hey man, you alright?" Hondo asked quickly, seeing the pain on his face. Deacon took a minute to gather himself, then replied.

"I heard a pop. I think my ankles broken." he said. Without another word, he was quickly helped off onto the pavement, and to his feet. He stubbornly tried to put weight on it, but quickly hissed in pain, and leaned onto the paramedics.

Luca watched them helping another one of his teammates to a waiting ambulance, and sighed deeply. Or so he tried. The breath caused a wave of pain in his right side, and suddenly the world began to fade. It had been hard to breathe when he was helping them load Street onto the stretcher, but he had ignored it as fatigue. Now, his entire chest felt like it was under a compressor, and the thick pain in his abdomen was making his head spin. He decided that maybe he was just having an anxiety attack, and just needed to sit down against Black Betty. He took a few steps towards her, and his vision began to shake violently. And in the next second, his world went dark.

"Luca!" Hondo yelled, running over to him. He had seen the man moving away from them out of the corner of his eye while he was reluctantly being checked by a medic, but broke away as soon as he saw the blonde collapse. He dropped to his knees next to him, and pressed to fingers to the side of his neck.

"What the hell just happened?!" Hicks asked, coming over to join him.

"I...I don't know! He just collapsed! Dammit, he's not breathing!' Hondo said frantically. _Not another one!_ Deacon prayed from where he had to watch from a distance. Hondo unclipped the man's vest and ripped it off of him, almost jumping out of his skin when the blonde immediately gasped for air, and soon started sucking it in again.

He must've stunned his respiratory system when he hit the ground after he likely damaged it in the blast. Let's get him on the backboard." the paramedic explained, and quickly got to work securing his neck and arms. Hondo watched as another ambulance left carrying more of his team, and ran a tired hand over his face.

"You need to go with them." Jess said.

"No, I'm fine. I just need an ice pack and a beer, and to know my men are gonna be ok." He answered.

"Let me rephrase that. Go with them." She said, the stress creeping into the edge of her words. He sighed, and finally listened.

"I'll be there as soon as I can." She said, and closed the doors. She stared at the red and blue lights for a third time, and couldn't help but think about how fragile life really was. Id nothing else was learned from today, that lesson certainly was.

/

 **Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! This will be a multi-chapter story, so let me know what you think, and get ready for more to come! Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hello everyone! So sorry this took so long to upload! I recently got a second job for the summer, so things have gotten a lot busier, and I've been working on the story whenever I could find time. Hope you enjoy the resolution to last chapters cliffhanger, let me know what you think! There will be chapter, maybe two(I haven't quite decide yet), so be on the lookout! Thank you!**_

 **Chapter 2: Perspective**

 **The dust has settled, literally and figuratively. But the drama isn't over just yet. The team has all arrived at the hospital alive, and now it's up to the doctors to keep them that way. They all quickly realize that they only way for them all to get better is the same way they always do. Together.**

 **/**

"Alright everyone, I know you've all seen the news. Early this morning, multiple cops and agents from multiple burrows raided a building in search of a wanted fugitive. The suspect was a powerful person, and a very bad person. I just received word that multiple officers and agents were injured in this raid, as well as quite a few suspects, and that the raid has just been completed." Sara Hopkins, the director of Johnson's Memorial Hospital explained to her ER staff.

"Is it true that it was Marcus Clark? That scumbag has been all over the news!" one of the nurses said.

"Yea! As if Los Angeles needs another headline about a psychopath like him roaming our streets." another scoffed.

"Well then I guess it's a good thing that he's no longer on the streets, isn't it? He was captured and taken into custody. But, as I was saying, that is not our focus. Our focus is treating the officers that are about to come through those doors, many of which have families that have also been watching the news, and are worried sick about their loved ones. And I know what your thinking, some of the suspects will also be coming in. I don't care how much their views or actions disgust you, you didn't get into this job to judge people, you got this job to save them. Treat them to the very best of your ability, and send them on their way and let the justice system deal with them. This is going to be an incredibly long, difficult, and draining shift. Some of your patients may not make it, but as long as you give them everything you've got, it's just been another day at work. The ambulances are 10 minutes out, let's get ready people!" Dr. Hopkins said, looking around at the nods of acknowledgement from her Doctors and Nurses. As they dispersed to prepare, she let out a sigh. She had a feeling that she wouldn't be sleeping for a while.

"David, did you call the OR's?" she asked.

"Yea, their ready for us." The doctor said.

"Good. And do…"

"Yes we have plenty of blood, pain meds, and every other supply that your going to ask me about. The x-rays and CT's are prepped. No need to ask questions, I know you to well." the doctor replied with a charming smirk. Sara rolled her eyes and smiled back as she walked away.

"31 year old male, GSW to the left shoulder, multiple stab wounds to the torso and legs, multiple facial and rib fractures. Lost consciousness on scene, hasn't regained. Possible damage to the popliteal, subclavian, and carotid artery, severe blood loss." the paramedic said as she pushed the stretcher through the ambulance bay.

"Alright, exam room four. Looks like we're starting things off with a doozy, huh Nurse Cameron?" Dr. David Keen said, pulling his gloves on.

"Don't jinx it." she said, scolding him slightly as she helped transfer him, and unstrap him from the backboard.

"Alright, let's cut his clothes off and re-pack the wounds. Start a line of O- and fluids, order and head and chest CT, and call the OR to get them ready." Dr. David said, and everyone jumped into action, sticking Street with needles and hooking him up to countless monitors and machines.

"How're his vitals?" Keen asked as he tried to control the bleeding from the side wound in an effort to determine how deep it went.

"His breathing isn't bad, but it's not great either. His BP is dropping. He's lost a lot of blood." another nurse said.

"Then we better move faster. Cam, help me roll him onto his side. I need to check the GSW." he replied. Cam nodded, and gave the count.

"Looks like the bullet's still in there. It co…. Where's that blood coming from?!" Dr. Keen said, stopping mid sentence as his eye was caught by a large pool of blood that was collecting on the gurney and spilling onto the floor below.

"He's got a gash on the bend of his knee! Damn, it's deep!" another nurse said as he tossed a bandage onto the floor that was saturated and dripping blood.

"Keen, his blood pressure is tanking!" Nurse Cameron said.

"Alright, he's gotta go upstairs now! Hand me the staples and a roll of gauze, we can't let him lose any more blood on the way!" he said. The nurses held him up while the doctor closed the wound as best he could, and experty wrapped it.

"We're good, go go go!" He said, pushing the rails up on the sides of the gurney, and ushering him out of the room. He stepped out of the exam room and took a breath as he pulled his gloves off, pulling another pair on as he was immediately given another patient.

"Female, 34 years old, probable concussion. Check for other blast trauma injuries." the paramedic said.

"Male, 35. Dislocated shoulder with possible ligament and nerve damage, signs of whiplash."

"Male, 47 years old, possible fractured ankle with second degree burns on the lower back." Dr. hopkins looked around her at the stream of patients coming through the door, noticing how eight of the last ten gurneys had been carrying s.w.a.t or FBI officers. Even though the last three that had came in only had minor injuries, they still looked like they needed a lot more than medical attention. She didn't have time to wonder why, as she was to busy directing them to treatment rooms.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Lambert, this is Dr. Cruz. Can you tell me your name and recall the events that led to your injury?" Dr. Lambert asked after following the paramedics into her trauma room.

"Chris...Christina Alonso. The… the building we were raiding…. My team was still inside, I went to go back in and then it… it…. A bomb. Street, Luca, they were still in there. I tried… I tried to get to them." Chris said, talking slow in an effort to keep her words from slurring as badly as they had been during the ambulance ride here. She didn't care about the stinging she felt from the nurses rubbing antiseptic on the cuts on her arms to clean off the ash, or the one that was inspecting the gash on her forehead to decide if it needed stitches or not. As her memory begun to clear up from the fluids and pain killers that were now running into her bloodstream, it only made her worry more and more about the condition of her team. Sure, she knew most of them were ok, but two of them weren't. Including one with which their last conversation had only ended with more hurt feelings, thanks to her. It was as if the universe was playing a cruel joke on her.

"Ma'am? Can you hear me?" a voice said, drawing Chris from her thoughts

"Huh? Uh...yea." she replied dryly.

"I want to run a few more tests, but right now all signs point to a pretty nasty concussion. I'm also concerned about your breathing. It looks like since you were so close to the building during the blast, you took in a lot of smoke, and their may be some debris in your lungs. I'll order the tests, and then I want to have you admitted overnight so we can do some breathing treatments and monitor everything. Nurse Cruz will take you up. Do you have any questions?" Dr. Lambert asked, as he watched his patient trying(and mostly failing) to concentrate on what he was saying.

"Do...do you know of an...an officer Jim St...Street's condition?" she asked slowly, fatigue slipping in behind her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I don't. If I hear anything, you'll be the first to know." the doctor replied. His father was a cop. He grew up watching and listening to the brotherhood of police officers, and he could see the worry in her eyes. He nodded as Chris thanked him on his way back out into the madness of the ER.

"Alright. Your going to pressure with some pain, then a pop, and then there should be a little relief. Once I set it, I'll send you up for an MRI to check the ligament damage so we can rule out surgery, and we'll go from there, ok?" the doctor said. Tan nodded. He drew in a sharp breath when the grip of the doctor positioning his hands on his injured shoulder sent a twinge of pain through his entire arm.

"Ready?" the doctor asked. Tan nodded again, not trusting that his words would work correctly. As quickly as it began, the ordeal was over, and Tan ran his tongue over the inside of his lip where he had drawn blood in an effort to take his mind off of the pain in his shoulder and arm.

 **Minutes earlier…**

Annie had just closed another booklet of paperwork when she heard her phone ringing on the desk next to her. She tried not to let her mind go where it wanted when she saw the name on her screen.

"Hello?" she answered quickly.

"Hey Annie. I'm not sure how much of the news you've seen, but the raid downtown was S.W.A.T. Before I say anything else, Deacon is ok. He is in the hospital though, and he's asking for you." Commander Hicks said. Annie couldn't control it anymore, as her mind raced into the millions of things that could be wrong. If he was ok, then why was he in the hospital? Was he really ok, or was Hicks just saying that to keep her calm?

"What happened?" She asked.

"Half the team got trapped on the roof, and they had to jump off onto an airbag. A small secondary blast occurred as Deacon jumped, and it threw him off balance. He hit the bag weird, and the doctors think he has a fractured ankle, along with some burns on his back. He'll be released after they treat him, but he will need a ride home." he explained.

"Of course. I'm assuming it's Johnson's memorial from where the raid was?" Annie asked.

"That's right."

"I'll see you soon then." she answered, and said goodbye, already grabbing her purse and dialing a new number on her phone.

"Hey mom, I'm gonna drop Tori off, and I might need you to pick the kids up from school. David's in the hospital."

 **Current time…**

Annie moved as quickly as she could through the winding hallways of the hospital, searching for the room number she had been given in return for her husband's name at the front desk. She slowed her pace slightly when she found it, not wanting to seem too worried when she went in. As she turned the corner, a mix of concern and sympathy crossed her face when she took in the scene in front of her. Deacon was shirtless, sitting sideways on the hospital bed while the doctor applied what she assumed was burn cream to the blistered skin on his lower back. His right foot and ankle was submerged in a bin of ice, and his face looked tired and worn with a slight hint of worry sitting on the corner of his eyes, and wrinkled into his forehead. She could already tell what kind of night it would be. She smiled when she took a step closer towards him, and their eyes met. He tried to force a smile in return, but she didn't need it. She could see the change in his eyes when he realized she was there, and that was enough.

"Hey hun." she said, taking his hand for fear that touching him anywhere else might release the groan of pain she could tell he was holding back.

"Hey. How'd you know?" He asked curiously.

"Robert called me."

"Tori? The kids?" he asked.

"She's with mom, dad is on his way to pick up the other three. How is he doc?" Annie explained, then turned her attention to the others in the room.

"There is a large fracture at the base of his medial malleolus, but its clean, so he won't need surgery. You'll be in a hard cast for a few weeks, and then we'll move you to a boot as it heals. As for the burns, they will heal themselves, but you need to keep them clean. Change the bandage every morning and evening, and no heavy lifting of any kind until they've healed. Any questions?" The doctor explained as he finished wrapping the bandage around Deacon's torso.

"No. Thank you." Annie said.

"Your welcome. A nurse will be in shortly to get you into a cast, and then you'll just need to fill out the discharge forms." He answered, and turned to leave.

"Actually doc, I do have a question. A little before I came in, Officer James Street was brought in. He was…..it was..bad. Do you know how he's doing?" Deacon asked slowly, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"I know he was taken to surgery, but I haven't heard anything since. I'm sorry." Deacon thanked him. As soon as he was out of the room, leaving the husband and wife alone together, Deacon let out a long, tired sigh.

"Here, let me help you lay back." Annie said. She fluffed the pillows behind him, and set another one at the foot of the bed for his ankle.

"I need you to hold my foot for me while I move it. I don't feel like having it shift like it did when they put it in the ice." Deacon said. Annie swiftly moved to the edge of the bed, and put a gentle hand on his heal and the bottom of his foot, moving slower when she saw his face twist in pain. He could feel the ends of the break rubbing together from the movement, and fought the dizziness it brought with it. She made sure it was safely on the pillow before returning to his side.

"What do you need?" she asked.

"To start this entire day over. To change everything that happened. To know that Street and Luca aren't gonna be added to the list of police funerals I'll have to go to. Five dead, three were agents, two were ours. Everything is way to fragile." Deacon replied, the worry and weariness heavy in his voice. The two sat in silence as she massaged his hand, trying to comfort him any way she could. Her earlier assumption was correct. This was definitely going to be a long night.

 **Back in the ER…**

"55 year old male, internal bleeding likely caused by one or multiple rib fractures. Collapsed on scene, stopped breathing once during the ride." the paramedic said.

"Hang in there man! You hear me? Fight!"

"Sir, I need you to go wait in the reception area, ok?" a nurse said, blocking the entrance to the trauma bay.

"He's….I need….I need to…"

"We've got him, ok? Just go wait please. Sir?" the nurse said, trying to get him to focus on her once again.

"Hondo? Hey, come on, let them work. Hondo, you need to get looked at, ok?" Jess said. She had made her way across the crowded ER as fast as she could, weaving in and out between nurses and patients, her eyes locked on him. Even though she could tell he was in pain, he refused to leave his team, now demanding to know where the rest of them stepped in front of him and put one hand on his chest and the other on his side, hoping to make him look at her. Instead, the touch elicited a grunt of pain. He put a hand on the counter to steady himself as he tried to figure out which of faces in front of him really belonged to Jess.

"Woah, hey Hondo?! I need a nurse over here!" Jess exclaimed worriedly. The next thing he knew, he was in a trauma room of his own, being hooked up to monitors and machines. He wanted to fight them, to tell them he was fine, but he was to exhausted. So instead, he laid back and watched the doctors move around the room until the movements became dizzying, and he let his eyes slip closed.

 **Later…**

Tan huffed in annoyance while fiddling once again with the strap of his sling as he walked down the hall towards the nurses station. He had finished his discharge paperwork, and even though he was cleared to leave, he had no intention of doing so. Not until he knew how the rest of his team was. He hadn't seen any of them since they had all been loaded up and brought here, and even though he knew that only two of them had life-threatening injuries, that was enough. He handed in his paperwork, and made his way towards the waiting area. Relief washed over him when he turned the corner and saw two of his teammates were already there, along with Annie, Jess and Commander Hicks.

"Hey. Any word of Street or Luca?" he asked as he sat down across from them.

"No. I guess their both still in surgery. How's the shoulder?" Deacon asked, eyeing the sling.

"Two torn ligaments and a broken nose. You?" he replied.

"Broken ankle, minor burns. Now that we're going around, your turn Chris." Deacon said flatly. Tan flinched inwardly. Deacon was their rock, always level headed and steady. If he was off, it meant that something was seriously wrong.

"Just a concussion and some stitches." she answered slowly.

"Where's Hondo?" Deacon asked.

"Still in a treatment room. The shot must've been from pretty close range, because it broke two ribs in three places, cracked two others and bruised fifth. He would be discharged by now, except for the fact that he was dehydrated when they came in, and they wanted to give him an IV but he refused treatment. Said that he was going to find out how his team was, and then he was leaving if he 'had to bust his way out'. He finally convinced the doctor to let him out when he promised his mom would be there to take care of him, even though he didn't tell her anything of what happened. I called her, and she's on her way. Figured maybe he'd stop being so difficult if she was here." Jess explained, watching the hint of a smile grow on her colleagues faces at the description of their team leader. His actions were perfectly in character.

"That ain't likely hun. That boy's been stubborn since the day he was born! Well, before that actually. I waited a week past his due date for him to arrive!" the group turned around at the voice coming towards them.

"I saw the news, figured you guys could use something in your stomach." Mrs. Harrelson said, handing each person a thermos and a coffee. She nodded at the thanks she received, and watched them dig in. All except Deacon, who pushed his fork around, staring off into space.

"Now I don't know Jim all that well yet, but I do know Luca, and I know he'd already be asking for your portion if ya just gonna let it get cold! Their gonna be fine, so you better not starve in the meantime!" she said, in only a way that a mother can.

"I...I'm sorry, I mean no disrespect.." Deacon replied, face flushing red. Annie saw the look on the older woman's face and smiled at her. She wasn't scolding her husband at all. That was motherly instinct at it's finest.

"Oh, I know! I know you better than that! They don't call you Deacon for nothin'! Now eat before it gets cold!" Mrs. Harrelson answered, getting a small smile and a "yes ma'am" in return.

"Alright Jess, shall we go see about talkin' some sense into my Hondo?" she quipped after a few minutes of silently enjoying the meal. Jess nodded, and the two left with the assurance that she would be called if there was any news about Street or Luca.

 **Down the hall…**

The two women looked at each other and rolled their eyes as they walked into Hondo's room, and found him hunched over with his back to them, cursing under his breath as he tried to button his jeans and undo the ace bandage from around his torso. Jess shook her head and looked away. The deep purple and red bruise could be seen above the bandage where he had already managed to slide it down.

"Now stop that! You gonna hurt yourself more!" Hondo turned around quickly at the sound of his mother's voice.

"Mama, I'm…"

"Don't you even say it boy, you and I both know you ain't fine! If you were fine, you wouldn't need to refuse treatment! Now sit down and stop fussin' with that bandage!" Mrs. Harrelson scolded her son. She didn't care how old he was, she was still his mama, and he was going to listen whether he liked it or not.

"You did this?" He questioned Jess, trying to hide the annoyance in his voice.

"Oh uh uh, you don't get to blame this on me! You weren't even gonna tell her you got hurt, were you?" Cortez replied with a hand on her hip.

"Alright, alright! I know when I'm outnumbered! Any word on the rest of the team?" Hondo said, raising his hands in surrender at the two strong women in front of him. _I think she likes Jess a little to much…_ Hondo thought to himself with a smirk as he watched how they ganged up on him.

"Tan has two torn ligaments in his shoulder, Chris has a concussion, and Deacon has a fractured ankle and some burns on his back. We haven't heard anything on the other two, but everyone's waiting in the reception area for you." Jess replied.

"Ok, then let's go wait with them." Hondo said, standing up. He pinched his eyes shut when his head spun from the dehydration and his side throbbed.

"Easy! You do remember that you have six broken ribs, right?" Jess exclaimed at the pain on his face.

"Two, technically." he answered.

"Would you quit it now! You promised the nurses you would rest if you went home, but I want to hear it too!" she said.

"Ok! I will, I promise! Now can we go please?" Hondo asked, holding up a completed discharge form. Mrs. Harrelson nodded reluctantly, checking her son over one more time before helping him pull a shirt over his bruised body, and watching him like a hawk as they made their way back to the waiting area after a stop at the nurses station.

The group had just begun to catch up with each other when Hondo joined them before A doctor walked towards them. They all stood eagerly for the news. Even Deacon, who Annie steadied when he wobbled slightly at first from standing on his crutches to fast.

"I was told that you guys are waiting on news about Dominique Luca and James Street. Is that correct?" Dr. Keen asked.

"Yes. How are they?" Hondo answered quickly.

"Well to start, both made it through surgery. Mr. Luca's injuries were caused by a piece of his rib breaking off and perforating his large intestine. We successfully retrieved it, and the surgery went smoothly. He'll be staying a few days for observation, but is expected to make a quick recovery." The doctor said. The team nearly all sighed with relief, knowing their teammates were both alive. However, Street's condition was still up in the air, and that was what was keeping Chris from feeling relaxed in the slightest.

"James on the other hand, was a rough surgery. He came in with a bullet wound to the left shoulder, just above the armpit, and five stab wounds. The slash across the back of his left knee was deep, and nicked an artery. He lost a lot of blood on the way here, and his pressure tanked in the operating room. We had to revive him once, but were luckily able to close the arterial bleed, and close the wounds to his thigh, hip, side, and neck. The neck wound missed his carotid by a few inches, and the same with his femoral artery. The whole ordeal, with surgery and blood loss took a toll on his body. We're going to keep him sedated for a few days to let him heal, and he will need physical therapy to regain strength in his leg, but in a month or so, I'm confident he can be back to a low-stress position at work." Dr. Keen explained. Commander Hicks thanked him as he walked away to allow them time to collect themselves.

"Low stress. Does he know what our job is?" Chris asked sarcastically.

"Hey, he's gonna be ok. We all are. Sure, the next couple weeks and months are probably gonna be hard for us, but it's all a matter of perspective. Street knows we've got his back. We're gonna get through this together." Deacon said after a few moments of silence.

"There's the Deacon we know and love. Ya had me worried for a little." Tan said with a smile.

"Yea, well, I guess today I just realized again how delicate life is. Tomorrow is never promised, and I've been taking that for granted." He replied.

"Agreed man. On that note, I better get home before Bonnie kills me for worrying her." Tan said. After a few chuckles from the group, well wishes, and plans made to be kept in the loop on when to come back and visit Luca and Street, they all slowly headed home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Recovery**

 **Right now, life for the members of the 20 David squad is anything but normal. The one constant in their lives, being a S.W.A.T officer, has been paused while they recover from their injuries. Even so, they are noticing that they are now stronger than ever. All that's left is for the youngest member to join them in the out-patient part of the recovery process. Everyone is overjoyed when he does, but what will they do when they realize that his body isn't the only thing that needs to heal?**

Hondo yawned and sat up in his bed, grimacing when he felt his injured ribs moving. A few days had passed since the incident, and he and his team were at home with their families recovering. Well, most of them anyway. Hondo gingerly stood up and walked downstairs into the kitchen, smiling at the commotion he could already hear coming from the kitchen. He tried to sneak in, as to not draw too much attention to himself, but it was no use. His mom had eyes on the back of her head.

"Mornin' hun. Uh uh uh, you let me get that! You gon' hurt yourself more!" She greeted him, but it quickly turned to scolding when she saw him reaching for a bowl from the top shelf.

"Mama, it's just a few cracked ribs! I've had worse!" Hondo argued.

"That's funny, because I remember the doctor saying shattered. I ain't gonna have this arguing every day! Right now, it's my job to take care of you two until your both all healed! Now go sit down and let me get you breakfast." Mrs. Harrelson said. Hondo sighed, and slowly crossed the room to the kitchen table.

"Man, you just couldn't let me have all the fun of being hurt, huh?" Darrell said jokingly, looking at the multi-color bruise that covered almost the entirety of Hondo's side.

"Couldn't let you have all the fun of having mama watching you like a hawk 24/7." He replied sarcastically with a smirk, which Darrell returned.

"Boy I could've left you in that hospital room. It's a good thing you got your daddy's charm!" His mom quipped back with a small smile of her own. Hondo laughed until the stinging filled his abdomen once again. Mrs. Harrelson saw him reach a hand up towards it, noticing then that he wasn't wearing the bandage he was supposed to be. She put a plate in front of Darrell and him, making a mental note of it, and also planning how she would win the fight she knew it would take to get him to put it back on.

"Anything new on the rest of your team?" she asked.

"All recovering fine. Chris said she's heading over to Luca's today to check on him, but he seemed to be doing fine the last time we talked. Street… he's uh.. He's still sedated." Hondo answered slowly. Mrs. Harrelson saw the worry in his eyes, and decided it was best to change the subject. The rest of breakfast went smoothly, and Hondo soon reluctantly settled onto the couch for another day of recovery.

Deacon turned the water off, and reached out to grab the towel hanging outside the shower. He wrapped it around his waist, and pulled the curtain back to show his wife faithfully leaning against the sink. He sighed to himself, trying not to let her hear it.

"Hun, I know how much you hate this, but if your gonna insist on showering with a fractured ankle, I'm gonna wait outside for you to be done! What happens if you slip in there?" Annie said, not even needing to read her husbands mind. She had been having this argument will him ever since the ordeal four days ago.

"I know your only helping. Sorry for being such a pain." He said as she handed him his clothes and helped him change the dressing over the burns on his back.

"I knew what I was signing up for when I married a cop. And besides, we did say for worse or for better, didn't we?" Annie replied with a loving look. She knew how restless he was getting already. It didn't help that he couldn't play with the kids, or lift anything because of the blisters on his back. This left him to do what he could, but mostly worry about his teammates.

"In sickness and in health." Deacon answered with a smile, remembering once again how lucky he was to have her. He grabbed his crutches and hobbled towards the stairs, scanning the floor as he went for any discarded toys.

 **A few days later…**

Street furrowed his brow as a new sense of awareness crept through his body. He could feel the cool air on his skin, not like the thick mugginess of the office building. It smelled different too. The smell of gunpowder, sweat, and blood was replaced by that of bleach and… flowers? _Where am I?_ He thought. He slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the bright lights that he was immediately greeted with. He blinked a few times to let them adjust, and then moved his gaze down, taking in the IV's, wires, and the gown covering his body. In his confusion, he reached for the monitor on his finger, ready to pull it off when he felt a hand gently grab his, while starting to talk to him. He looked over, and after a few more blinks, he recognized the face.

"Luca?" he asked through a dry throat.

"Yea, I'm here man. Welcome back." Luca answered, trying not to let his sigh of relief sound to loud.

"Wh….how… how long have I been here?" Street asked, trying to piece together the shards of memories from the past few days that were floating around in his head.

"To long. How much do you remember about the raid? And how you got hurt?" Luca asked. The entire team had been mulling over this ever since the incident. They knew Street was alone when it all went down, and they were still kicking themselves for it. There were so many unanswered questions, and now that he was finally awake, maybe they could have some peace.

"I remember everything from the morning, seeing Rocker go down, then the explosion and watching you…. Disappear. I went to find you, and this guy came out of nowhere. He uh… he shot me, and I almost blacked out. All I could think about was… the team. What if you guys were hurt and needed me? I got up and started moving again, trying to find you, but I got ambushed again. It's all kinda hazy from there, but the last thing I remember is you telling me that I was gonna be ok. Looks like you were right." Street replied with a sigh.

"I really thought I was gonna lose you man. There was...there was so much blood…." Street saw the pain on his friends face, and how he was avoiding eye contact, and wished he could get out of the bed. Sure, neither of them were much for emotions, but this was different. He wasn't conscious for it, but he had put some things together in his mind, and he knew there was only one way he had gotten out of that building. Luca had carried him.

"But you didn't. You saved my life." he said.

"Of course. No man left behind. Besides, the house is way to big for one person and a dog." Luca said, trying to lighten the mood. He had had enough emotions for a little while. Street laughed until the movement sent a twinge of pain through his abdomen. He tried to hide it so he wouldn't worry his friend more, covering it with a question.

"The team?" He asked hesitantly, scared of the answer.

"All alive and well, minor injuries. Deek's gotta broken ankle, Tan has some torn ligaments, Hondo's got a few broken ribs, Chris has a concussion. All on their way here, by the way." Luca said, looking down at his phone that had been blowing up ever since he sent the message a few minutes ago that the kid had woken up. He looked back up, waiting for a reply, but stopped when he saw the look on Street's face. It had only appeared when he had mentioned Chris. Luca knew something had been going on between the two of them recently, but he didn't quite know what.

"What's up with you and Chris?" he asked, hoping that his friend would volunteer the info, but knowing he likely wouldn't.

"Huh? It's...it's nothing." he said. Luca rolled his eyes.

"Come on man, everyone knows somethings up. We know you guys better than you know yourselves. She's been worried sick about you. If I hadn't made her go home and stop sleeping in this hard chair, you would've woken up to her face, not mine! What gives?" Luca pressed. Before Street could answer, a doctor walked in, saving him from the awkward moment.

"Good to see you awake Mr. Street. How're you feeling? Any pain?" Dr. Keen asked as he checked the monitors.

"Uh, a little, but only when I move." Street answered.

"That's normal. You underwent a long surgery, and were sedated for about a week to let your body recover. Have you been told anything about your injuries? I'm sure you have questions." the doctor said. That was when it really hit Street. He was the one still in the hospital, and he didn't even know what was wrong with him. He had been so focused on his teammates.

"Uh..no. I hadn't thought of that yet." he replied.

"Alright, that's ok. Well, you came in with a gunshot wound in your shoulder, along with five stab wounds, a few bruised ribs, and a broken nose. The wound across the back of your knee hit the popliteal artery, and you lost a lot of blood. That's the reason for this, which is closely monitoring your blood pressure after the transfusions. We were able to close the wound successfully, but you will need physical therapy to regain full mobility in your knee and leg. Two of the other wounds were dangerously close to major arteries, so the healing process may be a bit longer than you'd like. The good news is that with rest and therapy, we expect you to make a full recovery, and return to active duty." Dr. Keen said, pointing to one of the wires on Street's chest. Street laid quietly, listening as the doctor explained a few more details, including that he could be released the next day if all went as planned. Street and Luca thanked him, and sat in silence for a few minutes. It was quickly broken by the sound of multiple pairs of footsteps coming down the hallway. They both looked up and watched Hondo, Chris, Tan, and Jess enter the room.

"Welcome back to the land of the living!" Hondo said.

"Yea, it's about time!" Tan chimed in jokingly.

"You had us worried there for a while kid. Don't do that again." Hondo said. Street returned the smile when he saw the sincerity in the team leaders eyes. Luca saw Deacon leaning heavily on his crutches, and quickly hopped up to offer it to his friend. To quickly, as he felt the stitches pull on his skin, and tried to hide a grimace of pain.

"Luca, you alright? Do you need me to get a doctor?" Jess asked quickly, turning the attention to him.

"No.. no, it's fine, I just stood up too fast." he said, deflecting. He wasn't the one he wanted them to be focused on right now.

"You gotta take it easy man, you had surgery, remember?" Chris said, finding a chair for both Deacon and Luca. Street's expression quickly changed at the comment.

"Wait what? You told me about everyone else, you didn't tell me how badly you were hurt!" Street exclaimed. Now the prospect of Luca carrying him out of the building seemed even more heroic. Luca was about to brush it off, but when he saw how concerned Street was, he couldn't.

"It happened when I fell through the floor. A piece of my rib broke off and got stuck in my intestine. The adrenaline kept me going until you were off to the hospital. But the fixed me up and I'm all good now." he replied. Silence threatened to hang over the room once again, but instead the team begun small talk, filling the room with laughter, and Street with happiness once again.

After what was a few hours, but only seemed like a few minutes, a nurse came in and told the crew that visiting hours were over, and they needed to leave. One by one, they each gave Street their well wishes, and headed out, reassuring him that they were a phone call away. He was about to switch on the TV when he noticed that Chris was hanging back. He had wanted nothing more than to talk everything over for the last few weeks, but had never gotten the chance. By the way she was lingering, he figured that now was the time. As deeply as he wanted it to happen, he wanted her to initiate it, and so he decided to wait. Soon, he got his way.

"Street…. Look, about this… tension between us the last few months. It's…god, where do I even start? I'm sorry. I'm sorry I pushed you away. Everything with my relationships has been happening so fast recently, and I knew it would take people awhile to get used to, I just...I shouldn't have treated you the way I did." Chris said, already feeling better. She was tired of carrying this weight. She had bonded faster with Street than she had any of her other teammates, and she missed what they had.

"It wasn't all you. I should've never…"

"Street, you almost died. A few times. I'm the one who needs to be apologizing, ok? When I saw you on the stretcher, bleeding like that… the thought of losing you without getting to make things right? I would've never forgiven myself. I want our friendship back." Chris said.

"I do too. And I promise to respect your boundaries from now on. " he said. They both looked up when a nurse stuck her head in the door.

"I'm sorry to break things up, but I really need you to leave ma'am." she said. Chris nodded, and gathered her things.

"So are we cool now? I get a second chance to be friends?" Street asked after the nurse left.

"Yea. I'd like that. Goodnight Street." she said.

"Goodnight."

 **Weeks later…**

"That's it Jim, your doing really good. Two more, ok?" Dr. Meyers said, keeping a steady presence in front of him as he continued the rehab exercises. She could see the determination on his face, but she could also see how badly his leg was shaking, and decided to call it/

"Alright, that's enough for today. I'm really happy with the progress your making!" She said, marking a few things down on his chart.

"How soon till I can.."

"Get off desk duty? I knew it was coming. Look, your improving greatly, but your knee just isn't strong enough for high speed running or intense activity yet. I'm sorry, but it might be another few weeks. Injuries like this take time, but trust me, you'll get there." The therapist said, trying to reassure him. He nodded, trying to hide his disappointment as he thanked her, and left the building to drive home.

As he unlocked the front door and walked into his house, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He turned the screen on to see a text from Luca.

 _Hey, how'd pt go today?_

 _Good._

 _Any news on when you'll be back?_

 _Doc said a few more weeks. Feels like forever._

 _You'll get there, stay positive man!_

 _Yea. Thanks_

"That Street? How's therapy go?" Hondo asked when he walked past Luca in the locker room and saw the name on his screen.

"I'm not sure man. The therapist says everything's going as planned, but I'm worried about him. He's been super down lately." Luca replied.

"It can't be easy watching all of us come back and not being able to join us. Maybe he just needs some encouragement. Hondo, do you still have Buck's number? We all know how legendary that man's pep talks are." Deacon asked.  
"Yea, I think I do somewhere. I'll see if I can track him down. In the meantime, we need to just keep checking in on him after shift." Hondo said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

 **A minor setback…**

Luca flipped through the channels as he heard Street coming out of his bedroom. He watched him cross the room, doing a double take when he noticed how heavily he was limping. He noticed it even more when he saw how intently Duke was watching his roommate, with a low whine in his throat.

"PT extra hard yesterday?" Luca asked curiously.

"No, pretty normal. My leg's just hurting more today for some reason. I must've slept weird." Street said, trying to write it off, even though his knee was throbbing. He turned to grab something from the cabinet, and suddenly heard Luca jump from his place on the couch.

"Woah, stop for a minute! When did you change the bandage last?" he asked quickly.

"Uh, this morning. I hadn't had one on it for a while, and Dr. Meyers nearly ripped my head off for being outside at the park with Duke without having it covered. Why? What's wrong?" Street asked, seeing the look on Luca's face.

"Sit down. I'm getting you a shirt, and then we're going to the ER. There's puss all over the bandage. I think it's infected." Luca said. The words sent Street into a fit. No. Not now. Not when he was five days away from getting back to work! He looked down, turning himself in the chair so he could see what Luca was looking at as he unwrapped the bandage. He was right. It wasn't good.

"Deek, what's wrong?" Chris asked. Tan, Hondo, Deacon and her were in the S.W.A.T gym together, getting in some extra training before heading home. Deacon had just put his phone back in his pocket, and the look on his face said it wasn't good news.

"Luca just called. He's on the way to the hospital with Street again. He said it looks like the wound on his knee is infected." He relayed the news, and watched as their faces dropped.

"Damn. He's so close to being back!" Tan said.

"Yea. We gotta stay positive for him. Maybe it isn't serious." Hondo said.

"Let's hope not! I'm heading over, anyone coming with?" Chris said without hesitation. She knew Street needed them right now.

"Of course." The rest of them nodded. They all knew it.

 **Back in the waiting room…**

"Hey, Luca, what's going on? How is he?" Chris asked as they caught up with the blonde in the same waiting room from weeks ago.

"Doc said he's gonna be fine. It was a nasty infection, but they got it all cleared out. He'll be on antibiotics for a few days, and back to the crutches for a little, but she doesn't think it'll affect his therapy or return to duty." Luca said happily.

"Thank god." Deacon said, letting out a collective sigh with the rest of the group. They followed him down the hall to the room where Luca had left him.

They all piled in once again to find Street staring dejectedly at the discharge paperwork in front of him.

"Hey, why the long face kid? Doc said you'll be fine. Just a minor setback!" Hondo said, hoping to cheer him up.

"Minor? I have to go back on crutches! I was supposed to be back with you guys on tuesday! How did I get so sloppy when I was this close!" Street replied with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Your only a few days behind! It's gonna be fine! Trust me, we all know how resilient you are!" Chris said.

"Yea, you've made that crystal clear these last few months! We'll help however we can!" Tan added.

"Even if that means being your personal cheerleaders for the rest of your therapy sessions. You get that fire back you had a few days ago, and I'll even bring pom-poms!" Hondo said jokingly.

"Uh, now you have to, 'cause I'd pay money to see that!" Luca said, and the room erupted in laughter. After it finally quieted down, Street looked around at them all.

"Thanks guys, for everything. I needed that." he said.

"Of course, we're a team! Brothers. And sister!" Deacon said with a smile.

 **One week later…**

"Left side clear!"

"Right side clear!

"Chris out!

"Hondo out!

"Hondo! We got a rabbit!' Deacon yelled into the comms.

"I'm on it!" Street yelled his reply, and took off down the alley after him. The rest of the team secured the scene, waiting impatiently for word from their sixth member for what felt like an eternity. Hondo was about to raise him on comms when he broke through.

"26 David to command, I got the rabbit. Damn it feels good to be back!" He said with a grin stretching across his face. A few miles away, shouts and high-fives sounded from his teammates as they waited for him around Black Betty. They watched as he walked up without even the hint of a limp, perp in hand, grinning from ear to ear. Finally, everything was back to normal.


End file.
